I took a moment to digest what I had just heard in my head.
“Let’s have a round.”
…It was a straightforward expression that hardly required interpretation.
It’s pretty clear: it meant she wanted to fight right now.
Essentially, considering Neru’s chicken-fighting personality, one might assume she says such things anytime, but… I have a slightly different perspective since we can somewhat call each other friends.
Hmm… Is it different?
I guess it’s true that she says things like that whenever, but there are exceptions.
In fact, I had once assumed that even Neru wouldn’t go that far when she’s done something wrong, but then I realized I was mistaken when she instead brought up complaints head-on.
That doesn’t mean you should take Neru’s behavior as indicative of bad character. It’s more accurate to see it as just her dislike of the awkward atmosphere created by apologies.
That’s not to say she completely avoids apologies. When she does apologize, she does it rather straightforwardly, which might leave you unsure of how to respond.
One thing I need to make clear here.
Neru might be simple and hot-headed, but she isn’t utterly foolish. So she knows how to discern right from wrong.
You can’t look at the fact that she’s coming to me for a fight in a flat manner. It’s not simply about her wanting to take me down and drag Baekto away; it’s also clear that she feels affected by Akane’s actions more than her own.
Sure, it’s true that her barging into our guest room was a bother, but that was more of a coincidence than outright rudeness. It’s something we could let slide, and while I was a bit taken aback by the situation, I wasn’t particularly upset.
However, Akane swiping the keycard was clearly rude. In fact, if she’d acted brazenly about it, I would have found it quite annoying, but you can tell a lot from someone’s expressions.
Seeing Akane’s face, knowing she was in the wrong, didn’t really leave me in the mood to get angry. Subject to the premise of seeking Nagisa’s forgiveness, I reckon a mentally mature person like me could handle things adequately with a decent talk.
Anyway. After considering the surrounding circumstances, there was enough of a good atmosphere for us to wrap things up positively. C&C’s pride might take a small scratch, but given the mistakes made, I suppose it’s reasonable to accept that much.
So, Neru’s fierce smile like mine just now was…
“You’re a VIP.”
“…Ah.”
“I’ve heard you can even ignore the law of this ship. If you have enough authority to command the guards here, we should be able to fight without worry, right? Am I wrong?”
I was beginning to grasp a bit of what was going on.
Neru can turn into a hot-blooded version of herself when it comes to her friends. So, rather than interpreting her coming for a fight as random, it’s reasonable to think there’s a solid reason behind it.
“Alright, sure. Let’s have a round.”
If I were to overinterpret this just a tad, it might mean that Neru is taking the heat for Akane’s actions instead of regarding it as a fight.
“Huh, what? You’re not backing down today?”
Though, it might not be the case at all.
Such interpretations could merely be an excessive attribution of meaning on my part. Even if you know the depths of waters, you can never truly know the depths of a person’s heart, right?
So, is it so bad to probe Neru gently here?
“Ahaha. It’s incredibly admirable to see Neru-chan stepping up for Akane-chan. Besides, if I refuse, Neru-chan will definitely feel embarrassed, right?☆”
“What in the world are you rambling about! I just want to finish that fight from before, and you’re blabbering nonsense!”
Bingo.
While I can’t claim my suspicion is 100% right, it seems to be somewhat true.
Neru’s behavior—denying my words while trying to keep calm—is the biggest evidence. Her face flushed red is also telling.
That said, it might be a stretch to say that’s her main intention. Because Neru’s generally a straightforward person, and she doesn’t hesitate to voice what she desires.
When Neru says she wants to have a round, it’s clear that despite the context, wanting to fight is her main goal.
If she could gain something from that, it’d be a bonus, but just the fact that she can fight me would likely suffice for her.
Regardless, looking at Neru feels like watching a cute cousin. After all, we both share the exhausting feeling of needing to entertain each other.
“But Neru-chan.”
“Ah?”
“It’s a bit strange to call it an unfinished fight, don’t you think? You lost to me last time.”
“Hah. That was just because you were bugging me non-stop, so I just let it go!”
“Wow—wait, are you saying you’re contradicting yourself? I find it rather disappointing to see Mikamo Neru behaving so disgracefully…”
“…Ugh, this guy makes me so mad again!”
I was just stating facts… Well, I mean, I did have that slight motive in wanting to provoke this reaction, but still!
“Phew. Fine, let’s say you won last time.”
“It’s not ‘let’s say’; I actually won!☆”
“YAAAHH!!! Hey, put the gun down! Are you going to let it go or not?!”
Seeing Neru’s switch flip, I couldn’t help but chuckle as I grabbed the gun I’d rested beside the headboard.
Oh, before that. With a glance at the teacher, who was clearly enjoying the spectacle, I asked.
“Teacher, what do you think the customers’ reaction would be if Akane-chan took orders at the cafe in her outfit?”
“Well…”
The teacher was about to give an immediate answer, but her words trailed off. However, that alone was enough of a response.
As expected, men really can’t resist bunny girls.
“Alright, that’s settled. So then… any material damage incurred from my fight with Neru-chan will be handled by Akane-chan☆”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t want to? I mean, working hard at the cafe for a compensation should suffice, right? Yep, in that outfit.”
“No, no. I didn’t say I didn’t want to, but there’s no way I can handle the costs from your fight by myself…”
Good, she said exactly what I wanted to hear.
“If you can’t handle it alone, I guess I’ll have to bill the seminar for the costs. Yep. How much Akane-chan needs to cover after that… will be left to Yuuka-chan’s discretion, okay?”
“…”
As I chuckled at Akane, whose complexion had gone pale, I thought it was all her own doing, so she should bear the consequences.
“By the way, I don’t mind, but don’t forget to properly apologize to Nagisa-chan, alright?”
“Y-yes…”
Akane replied weakly, glancing towards Nagisa, who was awkwardly scratching her cheek. It was strange how she was avoiding eye contact.
Turning to where Nagisa was, I saw her sitting with her arms crossed, looking rather displeased.
…Did I do something wrong?
“Nagisa-chan?”
“…Sigh.”
Nagisa, who had been gazing at me with an indescribable expression, let out a long sigh. She then gestured for me to come here.
Naturally, I complied and hurried over to Nagisa as if I were a pet racing to its owner.
I wasn’t exactly wagging my tail excitedly or anything; rather, I was internally fretting over what I might have done wrong.
“You really are an idiot.”
“Eh?”
I was taken aback for a moment by her sudden harshness. However, as she hugged me tightly, all tension in my body melted away.
Her embrace was truly warm, and through it, I realized that she wasn’t angry but rather worried about me.
“…I guess saying ‘Don’t get hurt’ here is pointless.”
“Well, unless it’s some other time… but this time might be a bit difficult, huh?”
Honestly, fighting someone as strong as Neru is definitely not easy without getting hurt.
Upon hearing my answer, Nagisa sighed, as if resigned to the situation, and gently cradled my face in her hands.
And——
“Ugh…”
“Did you say ‘at another time’? Are you joking? Didn’t you come back every time with injuries? I’m just asking for you to consider the person who cares about you a little…”
Nagisa shot me a stern look as she pinched my cheeks, tugging them this way and that.
“Teacher, is this what they mean when you say love is in the air?”
“Ah, well, roughly speaking. One side is definitely smitten, but if they’re both happy, then…”
While listening to the teacher and Karin chatter away, I placed my hand around Nagisa’s waist.
Then, I promptly covered her mouth to stop the endless chatter. The best technique to silence someone is to use the body part that’s just right for the job.
This is what’s referred to as “kigal,” right? Yeah.
“…Really, it’s so unbearable to watch. Are we fighting or not—Teacher, let go! Let me go!”
Neru was throwing a tantrum from behind, but for us, it seemed trivial.
Really, if it weren’t for you guys, I’d probably be doing much more than this—I can’t believe you can’t even wait for that!
I thought this in my mind, conveying both remorse and gratitude to Nagisa.
“Hey, can I borrow this?”
Once we were sufficiently satisfied with each other’s embrace, as we separated, I pulled something out from around Nagisa’s waist.
It was Nagisa’s handgun, the Royal Blend.
While it’s not particularly powerful,
“My gun? But that’s not really useful for you…”
“Haha. Well, I just want to get a feel for it. Bringing in some good vibes… yeah, something like that☆”
Having wrapped up my preparations, I told Nagisa I was heading out. Then, pointing to the guest room door, I asked Neru.
“Aren’t you coming out?”
“What?”
“Huh…? You’re not thinking of fighting here, are you?”
“Seriously, what do you think of me? Of course not! You come out quickly too.”
With a crack, Neru loosened up and grinned as she stepped out of the room. I could hear the teacher mumbling something behind me.
“Speaking of which, what’s with Mikamo dressed like that…”
I decided not to answer that question.
After all, how could I explain it was for Nagisa’s eye-candy in front of the teacher?
…For now, let’s just focus on how to fight Neru.
